5 Best Running Backs in Carolina Panthers History

While it was Rico Dowdle who generated the most headlines for his back-to-back games with 200+ scrimmage yards last season, and siphoned away his reps, Hubbard has been the mainstay in the Carolina backfield since he was drafted 126th overall out of Oklahoma State in 2021.

In the years he has been the main starter, Hubbard has put together some very solid numbers, most notably in 2024, when he rushed for nearly 1,200 yards after rushing for over 900 yards the year before.

Hubbard has been a solid complement to Bryce Young in the years the two have shared the pocket, and it’s easy to imagine Hubbard’s star could grow from here.

3. Christian McCaffrey (2017-2022)

The first true star on this list, McCaffrey lived up to all of his expectations and then some as the eighth overall pick in 2017, becoming a featured back in Carolina and when healthy, delivering amazing production.

Unfortunately, the number of games he was healthy for was fewer than the front office would have liked, but McCaffrey showed exactly what he was capable of in his second and third professional seasons, rushing for 1,100 yards in his sophomore season and then following that up with nearly 1,400 yards, 15 touchdowns, and an All-Pro that vaulted him into the OPOY conversation.

When McCaffrey was dealt to the 49ers in 2022, it was due to a combination of a Panthers rebuild and his past health woes, and while he hit another gear in San Francisco, it was in Carolina where he truly established his mettle.

2. DeAngelo Williams (2006-2014)

One of two in the “Double Trouble” rushing attack of the late 2000s, Williams established himself as a truly prolific rusher in Carolina while putting together one of the greatest, if not the greatest rushing season in Panthers history.

That would be 2008, when Williams rushed for a franchise record 1,515 yards and scoring an absurd, league-leading 18 touchdowns as the Panthers (12-4) cruised to an NFC South title. Over the course of nine seasons in Carolina, Williams compiled 6,846 rushing yards, good for second-most in franchise history.

In addition to being an iconic running back in Carolina, Williams is also extremely classy off the field, helping pioneer the NFL’s initiative to wear pink for breast cancer awareness and research, and founded the DeAngelo Williams Foundation in 2006 for the same cause.

1. Jonathan Stewart (2008-2017)

The other half of the “Double Trouble” passing attack and owner of the franchise record for career rushing yards, Stewart burst onto the scene as a first-round pick out of Oregon in 2008 and outlasted Williams in the backfield.

Stewart was drafted as a lift for an offense that ranked 29th in the NFL and for a team that went a disappointing 7-9 in 2007. Stewart was envisioned to be the yin to Williams’ yang, a punishing, bruising rusher that forced defenses into a different look than for Williams’ speedy, agile rushing style.

In their first season as a tandem, Stewart and Williams combined for over 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns and were an immediate success.

Stewart was far from a flash in the pan, delivering 10 good-to-elite seasons in Carolina with or without Williams, finishing as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher in 2017, his last season in Charlotte.